26-year-old actor Frankie Muniz has a stroke-- what?!

[April_R]

@anson2995

Muniz actually had a transient ischemic attack, according to sources I’ve seen. It’s often called a “mini-stroke”, but it really isn’t a stroke at all. It’s caused by a small blood clot.

Absolute baloney. One possible cause? Sure. But the most common causes of strokes in young people are related to cardiac disease.

[ul]
[li]“In young people the most common causes are high blood pressure or sickle cell disease.” (cite)[/li][li]"Principal causes [of ischaemic stroke in young adults] are extracranial arterial dissection, cardioembolism, premature atherosclerosis, haematological and immunological disorders and migraine. "(cite)[/li][li]One-fifth to one-third of strokes in the young may be caused by cardioembolic phenomena. Causes include congenital heart disease, valvular disease (including endocarditis) and arrhythmias. (cite)[/li]
[/ul]

Migraines can cause stroke? Shoot, I am screwed

[Michael63129]

@ruadh

When I was in high school, my friend’s cousin had a stroke. He was about 6. I remember her saying he was the youngest stroke patient his doctors had ever even heard of.

I assume there was some kind of cholesterol issue involved as the doctors put him on a strict vegan diet afterwards.

I wonder how he is doing right now (from the second link deltasigma posted, also see this article on the effects of a saturated fat often thought to be particularly bad; ironically, another form is the most beneficial fat of any kind, saturated or not, for cholesterol levels):

A diet high in saturated fat mainly boosts the numbers of large-LDL particles, while a low-fat diet high in carbohydrates propagates the smaller forms. The big, fluffy particles are largely benign, while the small, dense versions keep lipid-science researchers awake at night.

In other words, saturated fat isn’t bad for you, at least in moderation (I’m sure too much of it is still bad, not that it is too hard to stay within the recommended RDA) while carbohydrates are bad (again, at least if you eat too much or the wrong kinds, like processed foods, which are largely based on grains, vegetable oil (often hydrogenated!) and sugar; sure, these can be vegan if they don’t use any animal products, or at least vegetarian, but far from healthy - and these very products are the main reason for why Americans are eating more in recent decades):

In particular, a large increase in caloric intake occurred between 1985 and 2000. In 2000 the average daily calorie consumption was 12 percent, or approximately 300 kcal, more than that consumed in 1985 (25). Of that 300 kcal increase, grains (mostly refined) accounted for 46%; added fats, 24%; added sugars, 23%; fruits and vegetables, 8%; and meat and dairy consumption declined 1%.

(note the last also)

[Annie-Xmas]

A friend of mine was on the Atkins’ diet for over ten years before dying of a massive stroke at age 25.